SUSPICION (A REVIEW)

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SYNOPSES

Written and directed by Tosin Igho, this film, Suspicion takes us through the life of Voke(Stan Nze) who possesses a supernatural ability/gift as he seeks vengeance for his goddaughter, Lolu(Ashafa Salamot) as well as his best friend Rogba(Uzor Arukwe).

This action thriller with a runtime of 1hour 55minutes takes a dive into the intricacies of African Juju(black magic) as experienced via Voke’s journey.

With feelings of pains from heartbreak, shocking realisations of betrayal and a paradigm shift from a life he once knew or thought he had, Voke must make an on-the-spot decision to choose between love and justice.

What will be the consequences of his actions? Will he be successful at his revenge mission or will he be distracted? You can see the movie to find out how the events unfold.

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MY REVIEW

This movie for the most parts reminds us why we love Nollywood and how much it has evolved in spite of the challenges that the industry faces.

Amidst a sea of low quality films, here’s one that speaks for itself. From the computer-generated imagery, cinematography, green screen, lighting, fight sequences, sound score and effects, visuals, props, makeup, storyline and plot....it was all impressive. I found myself saying 'wow' a lot of times through the film.
Great job from the cast and crew.

At the beginning when bullets were flying and someone caught them with their bare hands, I was just screaming and clapping all by myself like a full audience. What!!! The ‘ODESHI’ That scene got me…all I could think of was Hollywood’s, 'The Metrics,' Jet Li and the rest.

This side of Nollywood has certainly evolved and we’re here for all of it.

All the actors understood their assignment but my best acts are little Lolu and the guy who followed Voke to the club (I can’t remember his name in the movie). I’d love to see more of two of them.

You can never go wrong with Stan Nze, Uzor Arukwe, Omowunmi Dada…these are powerhouses. They interpreted their roles believably well.

The use of the Nigerian Pidgin English especially from Tina Mba who played Voke’s mother was interesting, particularly because it was the Delta State version of the lingua franca. I loved hearing the “mígwó” and the “vrén-dôh” Oh! This is the kind of movie that makes me miss actresses, Rachael Oniga and Ada Ameh (may their souls rest in peace, Amen).

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sadly, there are loopholes

While this movie will have you spell bound from the beginning, it however loses its grip in the middle but would later carry you along towards the end.

I guess the director tried to make it as complicated as possible and added make-up fillers. This however did not pan out or work so well in the favour of the film judging by how it started.

A particular case in point is Shaffy Bello’s cameo role. She nailed it but, of what use was that role to the plot? Omowunmi Dada’s character too had some missing links. One minute she’s in Voke’s life, the next thing, out of the blue, there’s a heartbreak letter and then boom…!

Speaking of missing links, I still don’t understand how that office investigation got infused into the film. Also, we really don’t know if Voke’s supernatural gifts are inherited since it appeared most of them had to be invoked by his mother.

He possesses three gifts as we’re made aware but does he come from a line of ancestors with extraordinary powers or just his parents? If it’s hereditary, this wasn’t fully established nor developed.

Furthermore, as unpredictable as the movie seemed, there were some pointers that made it otherwise. I could easily blame it on the fact that I’ve seen way too many thrillers but these pointers gave the plot away in my opinion, viz:

1. The choice of actors
2. Image exposure
3. Poster Design

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For starters, as a producer or director, I believe you could do with this little hint: if you’re ever going to feature a masked character in a film and hope to sustain some intrigue from a wider audience, you could consider utilising the services of an upcoming actor for that kinda role, one whom we’ve not seen before or barely see at all! That way, the suspense may be sealed.

Personally, I could tell who the masked man was from the get-go having put two & two together especially from his full exterior, body carriage and gait (the way he walks). Also, putting in mind the poster design and the line up of actors, I was able to decipher what to expect to a large extent, who died and who didn’t die.

So, for that aspect, I didn’t have that shocking feeling except for the very last reveal and shape-shifting effects in the last part of the movie where it later picked up which left me wowed as i didn’t see it coming. This then raises the question: are we expecting a sequel?

Conclusively, besides the dilemma of making a choice between love and justice and also the improvised display of the African Juju and its dynamics, it is somewhat hard to pinpoint what unique lesson or message this movie conveys. Nevertheless, this is a worthy watch for its entertainment value. Quite a commendable performance and execution there to be honest
I'll give the movie a 7.5/10

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I hope that this was interesting to read. Thanks for coming around.